Street and parking lot cleaner attachment for vehicles

ABSTRACT

The bed of a pickup truck supports a refuse container having an inlet conduit from the outlet of a suction fan mounted rearward of the container. The screened air outlet of the container includes a scrubbing chamber adapted to contain water for removing dust from the exhaust air. The fan inlet communicates with a suction head which is vertically adjustable relative to a street or parking lot to be cleaned, by controls operable from the driver&#39;&#39;s compartment of the truck.

ilnlted States atent [1 1 1111 3,708,823 Bell 1 1 Jan. 9, 1973 [54]STREET AND PARKING LOT 2,131,398 9/1938 Hubbart .....1s/340 x CLEANER AM T FOR 3,406,424 /1968 Rush ..15/340 3,474,483 10/1969 Heidland..l5/340 X [76] Inventor: Berl L. Bell, 1196 N. Neff Street, PrimaryExaminer-Walter A. Scheel Canby, Oreg. 97013 Assistant Ex'aminer--C. K.Moore [22] Filed: March 3, 1969 Att0rneyOl1ver D. Olson [21] Appl. No.:803,625 [57] ABSTRACT The bed of a pickup truck supports a refusecontainer [52] US; Cl ..15/340, /354 having an inlet conduit from theOutlet of a Suction fan [51] Int. Cl. ..A47l 9/00 mounted rearward ofthe container- The Screened air 58 Field of Search ..15/340, 354container includes a Scrubbing chamber adapted to contain water forremoving dust from the R exhaust air. The fan 1nlet communicates with asuction [56] eferences Cl ed head which 1s vertically adjustablerelative to a street UNITED STATES PATENTS or parking lot to be cleaned,by controls operable from the drivers compartment of the truck.3,150,404 9/1964 Johnson ..15/340 X 4 983,293 2/1911 Kundig-Honegger..15/340 X 3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures W 75\ 76\ 7 so 6 111" {I Q9 1111[46 i v V F 77/ ,L r 2; 1

I i Q' go 86 84 .2 1 158 1 f 38 1 20 l 20 I i I 24 l. I l I .III"' T l'l l" MJM 66 66 l I 152 I ri l 9 5 144 32 n 98 14 a 15 111 1 0 36 1 1 IIll 11 26 i 34 7o 16 3o I68 I66 L 2 M a: I

* l 61 g I 17 2 12 I82 02 I72 10o J I PATENTEDJAH 9 I975 3.708.823

- BERL l BELL INVENTOR.

I BY @hw AGENT FIG.

PATENTEUJAH 9 197a SHEET 2 [IF 4 m OE BERL L. BELL INVENTOR AGENTPATENTEDJAH 9 I973 3,708,823

SHEET 3 [IF 4 INVENTOR BY @w-nCa AGENT BERL L. BELL STREET AND PARKINGLOT CLEANER ATTACHMENT FOR VEHICLES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Thisinvention relates to street cleaning apparatus,

and more particularly to street and parking lot cleaning apparatus whichis intended for removable attachment to a small truck.

Street and parking lot cleaning equipment provided heretofore includesas an integral component a vehicle designed specifically for use onlywith the cleaner. The high cost of such equipment makes their purchaseeconomically unfeasible for operators of parking lots, supermarkets,etc. Moreover, their high cost, limited maneuverability and slowness ofoperation are reflected in high service charges to such operators by thecompanies which offer such cleaning services.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In its basic concept the present inventionprovides a street and parking lot cleaning attachment for removablemounting on a small truck, which attachment in-' cludes an integratedassembly of a source of vacuum, an adjustable vacuum head for lifting vdebris from streets and the like, and a refuse container for thecollected debris.

It is by virtue of the foregoing basic concept that the principalobjective of the present invention is achieved, namely to overcome thedisadvantages of prior equipment, as enumerated hereinbefore.

Another important object of this invention is the provision of streetand parking lot cleaning apparatus capable of being mounted removably ona truck whereby the latter may be used for other purposes when theattachment is removed.

Still another important object of the present invention is the provisionof street and parking lot cleaning apparatus capable of being mountedupon a small truck for maximum maneuverability for effective cleaning ofsmall and irregular areas as well as large areas.

A further important object of this invention is the provision of streetand parking lot cleaning apparatus for removable mounting on a truck,which apparatus includes adjustment means by which the apparatus may beelevated with respect to astreet when not in use, to accommodate easyand rapid movement of the truck.

The foregoing and other objects and advantagesof this invention willappear from the'following detailed description taken in connection withthe accompanying drawings of the preferred embodiment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 6 is a fragmentary sectional viewtaken on the line 6-6 in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary plan view, partly in section, as viewed from thetop in FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 8-8 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 9-9 in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT For purposes merely ofillustration there is shown in broken lines in FIG. 1 a pickup truckwhich includes a frame 10 mounted on rear wheels 12, as well as frontwheels (not shown), and which supports a forward driver's compartment 14and a rear load carrying compartment defined by the bed 16 and sidewalls 18.

Supported removably on the bed of the load carrying compartment of thetruck is a hollow housing defined by the side walls 20, front wall 22,rear wall 24, bottom 26 and top 28. A hinged door 24 is provided in therear wall to gain access to the interior of the housing. A base frame 30is interposed between the bottom and the truck bed. The base frameissecured to the truck bed removably by such means as the anchor bolts32 which extend through aligned openings in the lapping ends of brackets34 and 36 secured to the base frame 30 and truck frame 10, respectively,preferably adjacent the front ends of the opposite lateral sides of saidframes.

An intermediate transverse wall 38 in the housing divides the latterinto two longitudinally spaced compartments, namely a rear refusecollecting compartment 40 and a front dust scrubber compartment 42.Communication between these compartments is provided by an auxiliaryhousing defined by the side walls 44 (FIG. 7), end walls 46 and top 48.The side and end walls are sealed to the top wall 28 of the mainhousing, whereby the auxiliary housing provides a passageway 50 (FIG.1). This passageway communicates with the collecting chamber 40 throughthe openings 52 and 54 in the top 28 and with the scrubbing chamber 42through the hollow duct 56. This duct terminates at its open lower end aspaced distance above the bottom 26, for purposes explained more fullyhereinafter.

The opening 52 in the top is covered with the conical screen 58. Theother opening 54 in the top is protected by the sheet screen 60 whichextends angularly upward from adjacent the bottom of the intermediatewall 38 to the rearward edge of the' opening. These screens serve toprevent particles of debris from being blown through the openings, andthe arrangements of the screens are such as to inhibit collection ofdebris on the screens.

An annular screen 62 (FIG. 8) is interposed between the duct 56 and thewalls of the scrubbing chamber 42. This screen is of smaller mesh thanthe first mentioned screens 58 and 60 and serves to prevent smallerparticles of debris which have passed through the latter screens frombeing blown into the atmosphere.

Water may be introduced into the scrubbing chamber through its open topby a garden hose connected to a source of water. A conduit 64 extendsthrough the wall of the scrubbing chamber 42 and is provided at itsouter end with a shut off valve 66. The valve serves to drain water fromthe chamber to the level of the conduit which defines the preferredmaxi'mum level 68 (FIG. 8) of water in the chamber. One or more drainconduits 70 communicatewith the bottom of the chamber and extendoutwardly therefrom for draining the chamber.

Openings 72 and 74 in the auxiliary housing top wall 48 are reniovablyclosed by doors 76 and 78 slidable in the overlying frame 80. Adjustmentof the openings serve to vary the amount of air delivered to thescrubber chamber 42. Thus, if the street to be cleaned is very dusty,the openings 72 and 74 are closed to direct all of the exhaust airthrough the scrubbing chamber. Dust 82 (FIG. 8) is collected in thewater bath and is removed periodically by agitating the water todisperse the dust therein and then draining the mixture through thedrain conduit 70.

Depending from the top wall 28 within the refuse collecting chamber is ahollow cyclone separator defined by the cylindrical wall 84. Anelongated opening 86 in the cylinder communicates with the outlet end ofa duct 88 which is arranged tangential to the cylinder (FIG. 7). As iswell known, this arrangement provides for the centrifugal separation ofparticles of debris entrained in the air stream emitted from the duct,whereby the particles of debris drop downward from the cylinder into thecollecting chamber. An arcuate protector plate 90 covers the portion ofthe screen 58 facing the opening 86 to prevent damage to the screen bysolid particles of debris ejected into the cylinder 84.

The duct 88 extends rearward through the housing and thence downward forconnection of its inlet end to the outlet of a suction fan housing 92.The fan housing is supported at its upper end by the pin 94 (FIG. 3)supported between the laterally spaced links 96' extending from theframe members 96 projecting rearwardly from the base frame 30.Downwardly extending frame members 98 and 100 on the members 96 supporta motor mount 102 for vertical adjustment relative thereto. A drivemotor 104, such as a small internal combustion engine, is supported onthe motor mount and preferably also is secured-to the fan housing. Theadjustability of the motor mount accommodates the support of motors ofvarious types and sizes and also af-.

' ing in the fan housing and mounts a blade fan assembly 108 forrotation therewith.

material. The lower edge of this blade is arranged to terminate closelyadjacent the street or parking lot surface, in the operative position ofthe vacuum head housing illustrated in FIG. 1. A laterally elongatedadjustable blade 130 of similarly flexible material is posi- Therearward end of the fan housing is provided with an inlet opening,concentric with the drive shaft. A cylindrical collar 110 extendsrearward from the inlet opening and receives thereover the front endportion of a length of flexible tubing 112 of rubber, synthetic plastic,or other suitable material. A clamping ring 114 secures the tubing tothe collar.

The rearward end of the flexible tubing is fitted over a forwardlyextending collar 116 of a hollow vacuum head housing 118, and is securedreleasably to the collarby a similar clamping ring 120. The collardefines the outlet opening of the vacuum head housing. The latter is ofsubstantially triangular shape in end view (FIG. 4), being defined byfront wall 122, rear wall 124 and angular top wall 126. The wide,laterally extending bottom of the housing is open.

Extending downward from the rear wall 124 of the vacuum head housing isa laterally elongated flexible blade 128 of rubber, leather, belting, orother suitable tioned adjacent the front wall 122 of the vacuum headhousing and is secured to a laterally elongated mounting bar 132.Extending upwardly from this bar are a plurality of elongated rods 134which are guided slidably in guide tubes 136 (FIG. 4) secured to thefront wall 122 of the housing. The upper ends of the rods are connectedto the operating bar 138 which, in turn, is centrally connected throughthe link 140 pivotally to one arm 142 of the bell crank lever. The bellcrank lever is mounted pivotally intermediate its ends on the pivot pin144 (FIG. 1) carried by the bracket 146 projecting from the vacuum headhousing 118. The terminal end of the other arm 148 of the bell cranklever is connected to one end of the control cable 150. This cableextends slidably through the guide sheath 152 and its opposite end isconnected to the operating lever 154 located in the drivers compartmentof the vehicle.

Thus, by rotating the operating lever counterclockwise about its pivotpin, the bell crank lever also is rotated counterclockwise to move theblade 130 downward from the position illustrated in FIG. l'. Thisdownward movement reduces the inlet opening to the vacuum head housingand effectively increases the suction of the vacuum head. By rotatingthe operating lever clockwise about its pivot pin, the bell crank leveralso is rotated clockwise to raise the blade from the positionillustrated in FIG. 1 and thus effectively reduce the suction at theinlet of the vacuum head. The magnitude of suction thus may be varied toachieve best cleaning results, which are dependent upon such factors asthe types of debris to be collected,-the wetness or dryness of the road,the speed of movement of the equipment, and others. v

The vacuum head housing 118 is supported at its upper end by a bracket156. (FIG. 3) which pivotally connects, at the pivot pin 158, one arm ofa bell crank lever. This lever is mounted pivotally intermediate itsends on the pivot pin 162 supported. by brackets extending rearward fromthe fan housing 92. Adjacent the terminal end of the other arm 164 ofthe bell crank lever there is connected one end of a flexible controlcable 166 (FIG. 1). The cable extends slidably through a flexible guidesheath 168, and its opposite end is connected to an operating lever 170mounted in the drivers compartment of the truck adjacent the operatinglever 154.

Thus, by rotating the operating lever counterclockwise about itsmounting pin, the bell crank lever also is rotated counterclockwise toelevate the vacuum head housing from the positionillustrated in FIG. 1..This movement of the vacuum head housing is accommodated by the flexibletubing 1 12, as will be apparent.

The lower end of the vacuum head housing is supported for verticaladjustment by means of the pair of laterally spaced links 172 connectedpivotally at one end to the housing and at the opposite end to the motormounting base 102.

Secured to the lower end of the rear wall 124 of the vacuum head housingis a pair of laterally spaced caster wheels 174. In the operativeposition illustrated in FIG. 1, these caster wheels engage the surfaceof the street to support the vacuum head housing and position the blade128 in properly spaced relation with respect to the street.

The rear wall 124 of the housing is provided with an opening defined bya rearwardly projecting collar 176, the opening being normally closed bythe removable cap 178. The collar serves as an attachment for anelongated flexible hose (not shown) fitted at its outer end with avacuum cleaner head, for manual use in cleaning very small and confinedareas.

Means is provided for adjusting the fan and vacuum head assemblyvertically between the operative position in which the supporting casterwheels engage the street, and a retracted position upward therefrom tofacilitate rapid transport of the assembly with the vehicle. In theembodiment illustrated, such means is provided by the hydraulic jack 180(FIG. 3). The base of the jack is secured to a frame 182 projectingdownward from the vehicle frame 10. The projecting end of the piston rod184 of the jack is arranged during extension to engage the overlyingsection 186 of the bracket 188, secured to the motor mount 102, wherebyto elevate the rearward end of the main housing together with thesupported fan and vacuum head assembly to the retracted position fortransport. It will be understood that the vacuum head assembly also maybe fully retracted by rotating the operator lever 170 counterclockwiseto elevate the vacuum head assembly relative to the fan housing 92.

Having mounted the apparatus upon a vehicle, it is adjusted to properoperating position as follows: With the jack 180 lowered and theoperating lever 170 rotated fully clockwise so that the caster wheels174 engage the street (FIG. 1) the bolts connecting the opposite ends ofthe links 96 and the bolts connecting the motor mount 102 are loosenedsufficiently to adjust the fan housing 92 and motor 104 in propervertical position relative to the vehicle. The bolts then are tightened.I

To transport the apparatus to an area to be cleaned, the operating lever170 is rotated v fully counterclockwise to elevate the vacuum headassembly, and the jack 180 is operated to extend its piston rod 184 toelevate the entire apparatus to give maximum road clearance.

Having arrived at the site to be cleaned, the jack 180 is lowered andthe operating lever 170 is rotated fully v clockwise to bring the casterwheels 174 into engagement with the street or other area to be cleaned.The operating lever l54 then is rotated in the appropriate direction to.adjust the blade 130 to proper'position above the street for optimumcleaning action. As indicated hereinbefore this adjustment depends uponthe type of material to be removed from the street, the wetness ordryness of the street and the speed of movement of the vehicle. Themotor 104 then is activated to drive the fan assembly 108.

As the vehicle moves over the surface to be cleaned, the vacuum createdat the inlet of the fan housing 126 (between the blade 130 and thestreet) causes the debris to be drawn inward through the vacuum headhousing, thence through the flexible tubing 112 and into the fan housing92. From here the debris is ejected upwardly into the duct 88 andcarried with the air stream to the entrance 86 of the cyclone separatorcylinder 84. Hard particles of gravel and other debris which may tend tobe ejected toward the conical screen 58 strike the protective plate andare diverted from the screen. By centrifugal action in the cylinder 84,the entrained solids are forced radially outward to the inner surface ofthe cylinder 84 from whence they drop by gravity into the collectingchamber 40.

Air and entrained small particles of debris that pass through theconical screen 58 and through the sheet screen 60, enter the passageway50 and thence are ejected either wholly or partially to the atmospherethrough one or both of the openings 72, 74, by appropriate adjustment ofthe doors 76, 78, respectively. All air and entrained debris not passingthrough the openings 72, 74 are directed downward through the duct 56and into the scrubber compartment 42. Dust and other small particles arecollected in the water bath. Lighter particles, not trapped'in thewater, are caught by the screen 62, while the air is exhausted to theatmosphere.

The debris collected in the chamber 40 may be removed at a suitable dumpsite through the door 24'. As explained hereinbefore, the debriscollected in the water bath in chamber 42 is discharged with the waterthrough the drain conduit 70.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that the present inventionprovides simplified and therefore economical street and parking lotcleaning apparatus adaptable for removable mounting upon a small truckfor efficient and therefore economical cleaning of streets, parking lotsand other areas. When not in use, the apparatus may be removed from thetruck, thereby allowing the latter to be used for other purposes. Sincethe apparatus is capable of mounting upon a small truck, it is highlyeffective in cleaning small areas-as well as large areas. Moreover,because of the provision of the scrubber chamber 42, the apparatus iscapable of cleaning dusty surfaces without ejecting the dust back intothe atmosphere. g

If desired, the fan and vacuum head assembly may be mounted 'at thefront end of a truck, with the duct 88 extending rearward to the refusecollecting housing on the truck bed. In such event, the fan and vacuumhead assembly is supported-by a frame, corresponding to frame members96, secured to the truck. The fan motor 104 may be replaced byappropriate belt or other drive connection between the fan and the crankshaft pro jecting from the front end of the conventional truck engme.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes inthe size, shape, number and arrangement of parts described hereinbeforemay be made without departing from the spirit of'this invention.

Having now described my invention and the manner in which it may beused, I claim:

1. Street and parking lot cleaning apparatus, comprising a. a frameremovably supported on a vehicle and having a portion extendingrearwardly beyond the end ofthe vehicle,

b. a hollow housing defining a refuse collecting chamber mounted on theportion of the frame overlying the vehicle,

c. a fan housing supported by the rearward portion of the frame andhaving a vacuum inlet and an air outlet,

d. a rotary fan in the fan housing,

e. drive means supported by the frame and connected to the fan forrotating the latter,

f. duct means communicating the air outlet with the collecting chamber,p

g. a vacuum head housing having an inlet facing downward and an outletfacing the inlet of the fan housing,

b. means operatively connecting the vacuum head housing to the rearwardportion of the frame for vertical adjustment, 3

. flexible conduit means communicating the vacuum head housing outletwith the fan housing inlet, and

j. support means on the vacuum head housing adapted to engage a streetor the like to be cleaned for positioning the vacuum head housing inletin operative position adjacent the street.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the hollow housing also defines adust scrubbing chamber separated from the refuse collecting chamber,.and passageway means communicates the refuse collecting chamber withthe dust scrubbing chamber, the passageway means including a duct in thedust scrubbing chamber extending downward from the top thereof andterminating above the bottom thereof, the dust scrubbing chamber beingadapted to contain water to a level below said duct.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 including extensible jack means, jackmounting bracket means adapted to be attached to a vehicle, and jackengaging bracket means operatively secured to the frame and arranged forengagement by the jack means during extension of the latter forelevating the entire rearward portion of the apparatus relative to thevehicle.

1. Street and parking lot cleaning apparatus, comprising a. a frameremovably supported on a vehicle and having a portion extendingrearwardly beyond the end of the vehicle, b. a hollow housing defining arefuse collecting chamber mounted on the portion of the frame overlyingthe vehicle, c. a fan housing supported by the rearward portion of theframe and having a vacuum inlet and an air outlet, d. a rotary fan inthe fan housing, e. drive means supported by the frame and connected tothe fan for rotating the latter, f. duct means communicating the airoutlet with the collecting chamber, g. a vacuum head housing having aninlet facing downward and an outlet facing the inlet of the fan housing,h. means operatively connecting the vacuum head housing to the rearwardportion of the frame for vertical adjustment, i. flexible conduit meanscommunicating the vacuum head housing outlet with the fan housing inlet,and j. support means on the vacuum head housing adapted to engage astreet or the like to be cleaned for positioning the vacuum head housinginlet in operative position adjacent the street.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1 wherein the hollow housing also defines a dust scrubbing chamberseparated from the refuse collecting chamber, and passageway meanscommunicates the refuse collecting chamber with the dust scrubbingchamber, the passageway means including a duct in the dust scrubbingchamber extending downward from the top thereof and terminating abovethe bottom thereof, the dust scrubbing chamber being adapted to containwater to a level below said duct.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1 includingextensible jack means, jack mounting bracket means adapted to beattached to a vehicle, and jack engaging bracket means operativelysecured to the frame and arranged for engagement by the jack meansduring extension of the latter for elevating the entire rearward portionof the apparatus relative to the vehicle.